Battle at Gettysburg?

Question

ok... i have to do a major project on gettysburg ... and i was wondering if anyone knew any really specific factual information because i am completely lost. Also if you know of any websites that would be very helpful. It is pretty much the broad topic of the whole battle and all the strategies and who won and the problems and what the battle was about... all of it pretty much.

Thanks so much :)

****** I have to write it in MLA format.. and i cant find a website for (.gov) ... if anyone finds something please let me know

Answer 1

Read M. Shaara's "The Killer Angles" as it gives great insight into the thought of the men involved and is very factually based.

Use James McPherson's text books for good background information.

www.nps.gov/gett is the site for the Gettysburg national Park. Citing a .gov website has teh same rules as a .com or .org for MLA

www.militaryhistoryonline.com/gettysburg and
www.civilwarhome.com/gettysbu.htm should help as well.

By far your best bet is to go to your local library and check out the books they have on the battle. The Civil War is one of the most studied topics in World History, and Gettysburg is second only to the Normandy Landings of WWII for historical books, so you'll have a lot to choose from.

Answer 2

Try this for detailed info. There are millions of sites on Gettysburg. http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/home.htm

The battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1, 2 & 3rd of 1863 in the farmfields around, and in the town of Gettysburg, in south central PA. It was a three day battle that marked the farthest northern advance of the confederate army, as well as the turning point of the war. Up until that point, the Confederates had the upper hand. After Gettysburg, the Union gained momentum that led to eventual victory in April 1865. I won't get into the whole battle info here, as this is obviously a research requirement from your teacher.

Terms to look up: General Robert E. Lee, General John F. Reynolds, Maj. General George Meade, Gen. Lo Armistead, Gen. Sickles, Seminary Ridge, Culp's Hill, Little Round Top, Big Round Top, the Wheatfield, Spangler's Spring, Devil's Den, Jenny Wade, Picket's Charge (aka Longstreets Assault), the "fish hook", the Peach Orchard, Bloody Run, and the Gettysburg Address (its good to read, after all of your research on the battle).

Good luck. Oh, and if you find any sources that claim that the battle was a pure accident, only because the soldiers were looking for shoes, keep reading for the whole story. They were trying to re-supply, but Lee did want to fight on northern soil. It would have happened within the next few weeks, had it not happened there. Lee wanted to take advantage of Meade recently taking over the Union forces, and Lee felt he would not be organized yet and weak.

Answer 3

The Gettysburg Battle was an accident of two armies bumping into each other. Lee was invading the north without his eyes (Jeb Stuart's Cavalry) and heard from a spy that the Union army was getting close. His orders were to come together near Cashtown or the crossroads of Gettysburg. At the time, the Army of N. Virginia was spreadout from Harrisburg to south of Chambersburg. He had explicit orders not to engage the enemy until the whole army was in the field.

In the fog of war, however, Heth's Rebel Division moved toward Gettysburg looking for shoes. They ran into a cavalry pickett line under Gen. Buford. Heth brought up his whole division and buford held on until the Union Ist Corp came up.

Both sides brought up their armies piecemeal. On July 1, 1863, the Confederates beat back the Union and took control of Gettysburg and Semetary Ridge. Inexplicably, Gen. Ewell did not follow-up the victory with a charge up Culps Hill and Cemetery Hill. The high ground was therefore left in Union hands and the battle may as well have been decided on the 1st day.

Gen Lee was blamed for not giving specific orders to take the high ground ("if at all practicable" he said). Ewell was no Stonewall Jackson, and it showed.

The second day was almost won by the Rebs, with an assault on the Union left up Little Round top and Devil's Den. Two saviors of the day were Governor Warren who rushed troops to the undefended flank at the last moment and Col Chamberlains famous "fix bayonet" charge that stopped Gen. Hoods Texans from taking the flank. For his day at Little Round Top, (Chamberlain won the Cong. Med. of Honor)

The third day was a total blunder on Lee's part for ordering the sure death of proud Viriginians and North Carolinians, as 12,000 rebs attacked over open ground against entrenched infantry and massed artillery (AKA: Pickett's Charge).

The battle was the South's high water mark in the war, from then on they lost the strategic initiative in the war and were henceforth on the retreat.

Answer 4

I agree with a previous post Shaara's the killer angels is a very good start it gives both sides of the story,it is an easy read for someone who may be "forced" to research some thing they may not really be that interested in.
Literature on this battle is very abundant.One caution though a lot of civil war books are told with a slant so read carefully and get both sides of the story.I like to actally read books that dont even try to hide there bias and compare the two different sides of the story the truth is usually in between.

Answer 5

whilst many errors have been made at Gettysburg, the only regarded at as maximum damaging to the accomplice reason replace into the failure of Richard Ewell to take the intense floor on the 1st day. somewhat Clups Hill And Cemetery Ridge. After routing the Union forces on the 1st day and driving them back by using Gettysburg proper, Ewell replace into ordered to pursue the Union forces up the intense floor ( Clups Hill) "if achieveable" by using R.E Lee. Ewell desperate that it replace into no longer achieveable and did no longer attack. Ewell replace into purely in administration of this branch using dying of Thomas Jackson at Chancellorsville some months till now. If the confederates might have taken the intense floor it could have been the Union that could desire to be compelled to attack them up hill by using undesirable terrain for the subsequent 2 bloody days as a replace of any opposite direction around. There could have been no choose for Pickett s disastrous fee on the third day if the intense floor replace into taken on the 1st.